How Much Do You Have To Walk A Day To Lose Weight

I don’t think anyone can give you an exact answer to how much you have to walk a day to lose weight. There are just too many variables at play such as health concerns, physical fitness level, current weight, willingness, desire plus many more.

Someone that has a lot more to lose may find it easier to lose 1 pound of weight compared to a thin athletic person, provided they both put in the same amount of effort. This of course may not be true in all cases either.

However, walking and monitoring your calorie intake can help you lose weight. This is not ground breaking news, yet there are millions of products where you have to pay to learn how to lose weight. Sure I get that some of them are great and relevant to specific needs, but many of them are just pure scams if you ask me.

Can You Lose Weight By Walking 30 Minutes Or An Hour Everyday?

As a heavy person, walking on a treadmill with a high weight capacity is my preferred method of exercising. As I’m not exactly a super confident person in general, walking around town as an overweight person doesn’t really appeal to me.

Plus I get tired very quickly, its not easy carrying around another persons body weight on my shoulders. I’ve recently taken an interest in E-scooters as a way to compensate for these tired periods when out walking.

I can jump on a heavy person suitable E-Scooter when I need a rest, but not lose and time. But again, it takes confidence to walk out in public and carry a scooter with you at the same time.

This is not to say you shouldn’t, because you should always be proud of yourself and never let anyone disrespect you. But at the end of the day, there’s far too many jerks out there fat shaming on a daily basis.

With obesity linked to depression, there’s no need for me to put myself through this. So taking a walk on the treadmill instead is a better solution for me. But each to their own I believe.

How I Lost 30 Pounds By Walking Everyday

I kind of got off topic a little, so I’ll bring back in now. Walking an hour a day or even just minutes a day can help you lose weight. This is certainly true in my case as its how I lost 30 pounds. By walking on my treadmill for between 30 minutes and 45 minutes 3 to 5 days a week combined with a reduction in sugar.

30 pounds doesn’t sound like much when you weigh 300, 350, 400 pounds or more. But its a starting point and its proof that you actually no how to lose weight. No need to spend hundreds on a digital program that you’re not even sure works.

 

How Much Weight Can You Lose By Walking

How much weight you can lose by walking everyday will vary from person to person. Once again, there are too many variables to consider. From my personal experience, it took me 6 months to lose 30 pounds.

This is certainly not a set in stone time frame to the number of pounds lost at all. This could easily have been less or much more. It all depends on your attitude and desire to lose weight. I’ve still got a long way to go, and the next 6 months may result in only 10 pounds weight lost.

Losing weight for the average person is not rocket science. The food you eat results in calorie intake, how much calories you burn is a result of exercise. So if you eat healthier food and exercise daily, in theory you should lose weight if your calorie intake is less than your calorie output.

Consider Health Conditions

Now there are also health conditions that may make losing weight and walking more difficult. This is why its imperative you consult with your medical professional before undertaking exercise with a condition.

Heavier people also have the issue of knee pain as a result of the extreme pressure on the knees from the excess weight. You’re doctor may even recommend you wear knee braces while walking to minimize discomfort and damage to your knees.

How Many Calories Do You Burn From Walking

The number of calories you burn from walking will also vary from person to person. This is because it is very personal. How many calories you burn will greatly depend on your walking speed and how much you weigh.

For example, if you weigh 220 pounds and walk at an average speed of 4mph, you will burn approximately 8.6 calories per minute. So after 30 minutes you could have burned 258 calories and after an hour walking at 4mph you would have burned about 516 calories.

Treadmills Can Assist In Calorie Burning

Another reason I prefer walking on a treadmill compared to the traditional method of walking is that the treadmill does all the calculations for me. Provided you have a treadmill with a calorie counter.

When I first started walking, my goal was to burn 250 calories a day. So I set the speed and the incline on the treadmill so that that calories burned per hour was 500.

Turned on Netflix and away I went for 30 minutes. After the half an hour of walking, I was exhausted but at the same time very proud of myself for taking 250 calories out of my system.

How Many Miles Should I Walk Everyday To Lose Weight

Some people prefer to know how many miles or kilometers they should walk everyday to lose weight. If you’re not using a treadmill, this will vary greatly.

Unless you are walking on a level surface the entire time and maintain a consistent pace, working out how many miles you should walk everyday to lose weight can be difficult. Which is why I prefer the calories per 30 minutes or hour method better.

For example, one person could walk 2 miles on flat level ground while another person walks 2 miles on a 15% incline for half the way and on a 25% for the rest of the way. The person walking on level ground will not burn as many calories as the person walking on the inclined path.

I Walked 1.5-2 Miles

But to give you an estimate to the question, I will use my numbers. I always walk on an inclined treadmill to assist in faster calorie burning, so this is worth noting.

When starting out, I was walking about 1.5 miles a day. After my muscles starting coming back to life, I found it easier. So I increased the distance I walked and the speed of the treadmill. This is something you will notice also, provided you stick with walking for a few months.

Towards the later half of my 6 months journey, I was walking about 2 miles per day, 3 to 5 times a week. Now that I reached my first goal of losing 30 pounds, I intend to walk further than ever before.

 

How Many Calories Should You Burn A Day To Lose Weight

The number of calories you should burn a day from walking will greatly depend on how much weight you want to lose. The more calories you burn, the more weight you should lose.

However, its important to not push yourself too hard in the beginning. This can put you off your walking plan and discourage you from reaching your goal. Remember, walking to lose weight is a long term plan, not an overnight miracle cure.

I started out at aiming for burning 250 calories a day walking on the treadmill for 30 to 45 minutes day. This results in 750 – 1250 calories burned in a week.

 

How Often Should You Walk

Like I said earlier, in the beginning, I think its wise to not overdo it. But don’t use this as an excuse to be lazy. Make a plan to walk for 30 minutes a day, 3 to 5 times a week and stick to it.

After a month or 2 you may feel ready to step it up a notch. If you choose a treadmill, up the speed and incline to assist in extra calorie burning.

How Often Should You Walk If You’re Obese

The general consensus is that you should try to walk 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week to improve your health and lose weight. However, if you’re considered obese, they recommend you up the amount to counter balance the excess weight.

According to the American College Of Sports Medicine, if you’re obese you need to walk an extra 10 minutes per day minimum up to an hour per day.

Again, I would take this in increments. Starting out at an hour a day may kill your enthusiasm. Build up to it and take it slowly. Overtime you will find 30 minutes easy, 45 minutes easier etc.

Reduce Calorie Intake, Walk More

Monitoring your diet and walking everyday go hand in hand. If your calorie intake is far higher than your calories burned in a day, walking for 30 minutes a day may prove useless.

Its not easy to change your diet of unhealthy foods when you’re been use to eating it for such a long time, if not all your life. However, after walking for just a few days, I realized just how important what you eat really is.

Comparing Walking To Calorie Intake

It can be pretty grueling walking for 30 minutes to an hour when your obese and not use to the exercise. Its hard work, there’s no way around it. The penny dropped for me when I realized how much damage one ice coffee was doing to my calorie intake.

400 calories in a single bottle of ice coffee and I just spent 45 minutes walking to burn 250-300 calories. So I asked myself, was drinking an ice coffee everyday worth walking on the treadmill for an hour.

Heck no!. I was going to do all that hard work for it to be null an void of a single drink that lasts like 2 minutes.

Reduce Calorie Intake

So after doing some simple research, I was able to find easy ways to reduce the calorie intake in my diet. Instead of drinking Coca Cola, I went to the no sugar version, I reduced the number of beers I was drinking per week, cut back on fries and ate more salad instead while also replacing my TV snacks with a low sugar, low calorie crackers.

Basically I was on a mission to avoid foods that make you obese, or at least cut back the intake. If you are really serious about losing weight by walking everyday, adjusting your diet can prove very beneficial.

You Can lose Weight By Walking Everyday

Ask yourself, is that snickers bar (229 calories) worth the 30 minutes walking everyday?. I think you will agree with me that it is not worth it and you will find yourself looking for more ways to reduce your sugar and calorie intake.

So from all this long winded answer, for me it takes 30 to 45 minutes of walking everyday to lose weight. How much you want to lose is completely up to you. As always consult with your doctor before changing existing diets and o exercise routines.